Sheet-feeding machine.



No. 633,573. Patented sept. 23, |899. F. L. cnss.

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1898.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT Ericao FRANK L. CROSS, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEXV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE STANDARD MACHINERY COMPANY, OF MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT.

SHEET-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,573, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed February 15,1898.

T0 all wht/'nt it Huey concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. CROSS, of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new f and useful Improvements in Sheet-Feeding Machines; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The invention relates more especially to mechanism for feeding sheets'successively to a printing-press or other machine in which the sheets are to be further manipulated or acted upon.

One feature of invention relates to means for stopping the operation of the sheet-feed ingmechanism or of the mechanism to which the sheets are being fed, or of both, upon failure of a sheet to reach the proper position to be transferred from one mechanism to the other, thereby preventing waste of material and injury to the mechanisms. This feature of invention comprises an electrically-controlled stop mechanism the'circuit for which includes closing means controlled by the sheets and supplemental closing means which are intermittently operated. The supple mental closing devices are so operated that when the sheets are properly fed the circuit is closed by these devices only when it is opened by the sheet-controlled devices. If a sheet is not properly fed, however, the circuit is not opened by the sheet-controlled devices when the supplemental devices act to close the circuit, and a current therefore passes through the circuit and the stop mechanism is thrown into operation and the machine stopped. So far as this feature of the invention is concerned any suitable electricallycontrolled devices may be used for causing the stopping of the feeding or other mechanisms; but it is preferred to employ for this purpose electrical devices which in themselves embody features of invention. These electrical devices embody an electromagnet and an armature, one of which is normally reciprocatedindependentlyoftheother. Vhen a current of electricity is passed? through the magnet, however, the armature and magnet are held together and both moved in unison, i

Serial No. 670,442. (No model.)

which movement causes the stopping of the machine. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for stopping the machine which is thrown into operation or controlled by the securing together of the armature and magnet, so that they both partake of the movement of the reciprocating part. These devices may be combined with the iirst feature of invention or may be used in connection with other forms of devices for controlling the passage of the electric current.

A further feature of invention relates to means for advancing the sheets which may be adjusted to act upon varying classes of work without producing offset upon the sheets.

In the accompanying drawings is shown so much of a printing-press and the devices for feeding sheets thereto as is necessary to illustrate the application of one embodiment of the present improvements.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail of the rolls for advancing the sheets to the front gages, and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail.

As shown in the drawings, the impressioncylinder 1 of the prin ting-press, to which the sheet-s are to be delivered,is secu red to a shaft 2, mounted in suitable bearings in the frame. A feed-table 3, over which the sheets pass, is mounted above the cylinder l and is provided with projections 4 at its front edge, which are arranged to be engaged by the usual front guides 5 of the press. The guides 5 are secured to a rock-shaft'G, journaled in the frame, and provided with an arm 7,to which is pivoted a rod S. The rod is reciprocated to rock the guides at the proper time by a cam 9, secured to the cylinder-shaft,said rod being held in engagement withthe camby a spring 10.

` The sheets are advanced successively tothe front guides by upper and lower rolls 11 and 12, which are arranged upon opposite sides of the path of the sheets. The lower rolls 12 extend up through openings in the table and are se* cured to a transverse shaft 13, which may be continuously' driven by any suitable gearing. As shown, this shaft is driven from the printing-press through the following gearing: A gear 14, secured to the end of shaft 13, is engaged by a gear 15 on one end of a side shaft IOO 1C, the other cnd of which carries a gear 17, meshing with agear 1S on a shaft 19, mounted in the frame. A gear 20 is secured to shaft 19 and is engaged and driven by a gear 21, secured to the shaft of the cylinder 1` The upper rolls 11 are secured upon a transverse shaft 22, mounted in the ends of pivoted arms 23, one only of which is shown. These rolls 11 are dropped upon the rolls 12 once in each revolution of the cylinder 1 and then raised after the sheet has been advanced to the front guides by means of a cam-surface 24, formed on the upper face of a worm-wheel 25, acting against the end of a bar 26, the upper end of which is pivoted to one of the arms 23. A spring 27 holds the bar against the cam 24 and serves to raise the rolls 11 when the low part of the cam passes under the end of said bar. The worm-wheel 25 is given a single revolution for each revolution of the cylinder 1 by a worm 28 on the shaft 13.

Abutmentrolls 29, one only of which is shown, are secured to the shaft 22 adjacent the rolls 11 and are provided with grooves 30. Stop-levers 31 are secured to a rock-shaft 32 below the table and have their forward ends extending up into the grooves 30. The front edges of the sheets are brought into engagement with the ends of the stop-levers 31 by suitable mechanism located in the rear of the rolls 1l and 12, which mechanism forms no part of the present invention and is not shown. Said mechanism maybe driven by a shaft 33, geared to the shaft 13. The front edge of the sheet rests against the stop-levers 3l and the rolls 29 until the rolls l1 drop upon the rolls 12, at which time the shaft 32 is rocked by any suitable means (not shown) to carry the ends of the levers below the table and the sheetis advanced to the front guides. Suitable side registering devices may be used, if desired, but are not shown in the drawings.

The devices shown for stopping` the operation of the press and of the feeding devices should a sheet fail to reach the proper position at the front-guides are as follows: Power is applied to the shaft 2 -of the cylinder through a belt 34, running over a pulley 35, secured to said shaft, and the power is thrown offand the machinery stopped by shifting said belt onto a pulley 36, loosely mounted on said shaft. The belt-shipper 37 is mounted to slide in a standard 3S and is held in position to hold the belt on the tight pulley by a spring 39. A cord 40, secured to the beltshipper, passes over pulleys 41 and 42, and is connected to the end of a lever 43, pivoted at 44. An electromagnet 45 is secured upon the lever 43, and the armature 46 of said magnet is carried by a second lever 47, pivoted at 44 and havingits upper end held against a cam 48' on shaft 19 by a spring 49. When the sheets are being properly fed, no current passes through the magnet 45 and the armature is reciprocated idly by the cam 482. 1f a sheet fails to reach the properposition at the front guides however, then a current passes through the magnet 45 and said magnet and lever 43 are moved with the lever 47 by reason of the attraction of said magnet for its armature, and this movement of lever 43 operates the belt-shifter to move the belt onto the loose pulleyand stop the machine. Itis preferred to so arrange the parts that the armature is brought into contact with the magnet at each reciprocation, as with such an arrangement the magnet need not attract its armature through an intervening space, with the result that a less powerful magnet may be used and the mechanism is more positive in action.

Any suitable sheet-controlled means for closing the magnet-circuit may be used g .but it is preferred to provide the circuit with contact devices which are disengaged by the action of the sheet and supplemental contact devices which are intermittently operated. The main contact devices may be arranged in any desired manner so that they will be disengaged by the sheet, and are preferably so arranged that the sheet passes between them as it reaches the front guides. These main contact devices may remain in contact at all times except when separated by the sheets; but it is preferred to raise the upper contact device out of engagement with the sheet as soon as the grippers of the impression-cylinder seize the sheet and to bring the contact devices into engagement just before the succeeding sheet reaches the front guides. As shown, the main contact devices consist of a plate 48 at the front edge of the table 3 and a plate 49, mounted on an arm 50, secured to the front guide-shaft 6. The supplemental contact devices consist of a plate 51, secured to the under side of the table, and a springplate 52,which is normally out of contact with the plate 51. The plate 52 may he moved into contact with plate 51 by any suitable means, but is preferably so moved by the same means which operates the rolls 11. As shown, this plate is engaged by the downwardly-extending end of arm 23, so that said arm moves the plate 52 into engagement with plate 51 when the rolls 11 are lifted. An electric generator, as the battery 5S, has one pole connected with the magnet 45 through the wire 54 and the other pole connected to plate 52 by wire 55. A wire 5G connects plates 51 and 49, and a wire 457 connects the plate 4S and the magnet 45.

Vhile a sheet is being advanced by the rolls 11, the plates 51 and 52 are out of contact and so remain until the rolls 11 are raised, when the arm 23 moves the plate 52 into contact with plate 51 and closes the circuit at this point. If the sheet has been properly fed, it will at this time lie with its front edge against the front guides and between the plates 49 and 48, so that the circuit will be open at this point. If the sheet does not reach the proper position or if it is torn or mutilated IOO IIO

so that it does not enter between the plates 4S and 49, then the circuit is closed at this point, when the plates 5l and 52 are in contact and a current passes through the magnet 45 and the machine is stopped.

lf desired, a plurality of contact devices 4S and et() may be arranged along the front end of the feed-table and connectedwith the magnet, so that the machine will be stopped should the paper fail to enter between any of the devices by reason of a defective sheet or for any other reason.

The main contact devices may remain in contact except when separated positively while the sheet is being withdrawn, and the supplemental contact devices may be normally'in-contact provided they separate before the rear edge of a sheet passes from between the main contact devices and are not brought into contact until afterthe front edge of the succeeding sheet enters between the main contact devices. Thus by properly timf ing the supplemental contact devices the machine may be stopped should a sheet from which a portion has been torn away or removed be fed between the main contact devices. Should such a sheet pass between the contact devices, then when the torn portion of the sheet passed the contact devices they would no longer be separated, and the circuit would therefore be completed and the machine stopped.

In feeding sheets which have already been printed upon it is desirable that the advanc ing-rolls bear upon the sheet only upon the blank parts or margins, as otherwise the ink may be offset upon the rolls and soil the sheets, and it is preferred, therefore, to secure the rolls 1l to the shaft 22 by setsscrews 5S, so that they may be adjusted to bear upon the margins of printed sheets. In order that the adjustment may be readily and conveniently made without a corresponding adjustment of the rolls l2, it is preferred to make said rolls in the form of drums. This construction is also preferred for the reason that the drums completely fill the openingsv in the table and guide the paper across said openings. It is also preferred to locate a drum and roll upon each side of the abutment-rolls 29, so that the points at which the paper is engaged by the drop-rolls may be more widely varied. The roll 1 1 at either side of the abutment-roll may be moved to one side of the corresponding drum, if desired, so that it will not apply pres sure to the sheets passing over the table.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a feed-table, of front guides at the front edge of said table, an electrically-con trolled stop mechanism, an electric circuit therefor, contact devices at the front of said table between which the sheets pass, means for lifting the upper contact device during the passage of the sheet under the front guides, supplemental contact devices in said circuit, and means for simultaneously raising said drop-rolls and engaging said contact devices, substantially as described.

3. The combination with means for advancing sheets, of an electrically-controlled stop mechanism, an electric circuit therefor, contact devices in said circuit controlled by the sheets, supplemental contact devices in said circuit and means for simultaneously throw ing said sheet-advancing means out of operation and engaging said supplemental contact devices, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a feed-table, of means for advancing sheets .over said table, an electrically-controlled stop mechanism, an electric circuit therefor, including contact devices at the front edge of said table between which the sheets pass, supplemental contact devices in said circuit and means for engaging and disengaging said supplemental ccntact devices, substantially as described.

5. The combination of an electromagnet, its armature, means for reciprocating one of said part-s independently of the other, and means for controlling the passage of a current through said magnet, substantially as de scribed.

6. The combination with mechanism for acting on sheets, of'driving mechanism therefor, an electromagnet, an armature, means for reciprocating one of said parts independently of the other, an electric circuit for said magnet, means controlled by the sheets for closing said circuit so that said magnet and armature Will be locked together and moved in unison, and mechanism made operative by said movement for throwing driving mechanism out of operation, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the driving mechanism, an electromagnet, an armature there for, mechanism for reciprocating one of said parts independently of the other, mechanism made operative bythe movement of the other part for throwing the driving mechanism out of operation, and means for controlling the passage of a current through said magnet whereby the magnet and armature will move together, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the driving mechanism, an electromagnet, an armature, a re ciprocating device for moving said armature to and from the magnet, means for controlling the passage of a current through said magnet whereby said magnet and armature will be locked together and the magnet par- ICO IIO

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take of the movement of said armature, and mechanism made operative by said movement of the armature for throwing said driving mechanism out of operation substantially as described. Y

9. The combination of an electromagnet, an armature, means for movingone of said parts into and out of contact with the other, and means for controlling the passage of a current through the magnet, substantially as described.

10. The combination with driving mechanism, of means for controlling the operation of said driving mechanism comprising an electromagnet, an armature, means for reciprocating one of said parts independently of the other, and means for controlling the passage of a current through said magnet, substantially as described.

1l. The combination with driving mechanism, of means for throwing said driving mechanism out of operation, a lever connected With said means, an electromagnet secured to said lever, a reciprocating` lever carrying the armature of said magnet, and mea-ns for controlling the passage of a current through said magnet, substantially as described.

l2. The combination with a driving mechanism, an electromagnet, an armature, means for reciprocating one of said parts independently of the other, means connected to the other part for throwing the driving mechanism out of operation, an electric circuit for the magnet and means for closing the circuit, substantially as described.

13. The combination with mechanism for acting upon sheets, of driving mechanism therefor, means for throwing said driving mechanism out of operation (comprising an electromagnet, an armature, means for recip-4 rocating one of said parts independently of the other, an electric circuit for said magnet, and means controlled by the sheets for closing said circuit, substantially as described.

14. The combination with mechanism for acting upon sheets, of driving mechanism therefor, means for throwing said driving mechanism out of operation comprising an electromagnet, an armature, means for reciprocating one of said parts independently of the other, an electric circuit for said magnet, and contact devices in said circuit between which the sheets pass, and supplemental contact devices for opening and closing the circuit, substantially as described.

l5. The combination with a feed-table, rotating drums extendimg up through openings in said table, a shaft above said drums, and rolls adjustably secured to said shaft, substantially as described.

1G. rlhe combination with a feed-table, of a vertically-reciprocating shaft above said table, abutment-rolls secured to said shaft, stops coacting with said rolls, pressure-rolls adjusta-bly secured to said shaft on each side of said abutment-rolls, and drums below said pressure -rolls and extending up through openings in said table, substantially as described.

FRANK L. CROSS.

lVitnesses:

S. K. WHITE, GEO. E. GRINNELL. 

